How to make legit military entertainment

Cold Furnace is all about building hardcore games that give the player a realistic experience. And our Military Advisors have the first-hand knowledge of direct combat to ensure game designers, artists and devs understand the weapons, strategies and tools of modern warfare.

Here to the left, our Mil Advisors explain small unit tactics to help the team plan movement of enemy AI in our game, Atrocity: Field of Hands, currently under development. Rod Croucher, CF’s Weapons & Small Unit Tactics Advisor, is a retired paratrooper who served the guns, as well as an ex-infanteer who has multiple tours spanning several conflicts.

Dev Director Terry Sznober gets cinched up in a parachute rig from the 70s, borrowed from CF’s memorabilia collection. Calling the experience “very confining,” he got just a tiny fraction of an idea of what the real thing might feel like – in the comfort of our headquarters!

But CEO Mark Wheeler, who was an airborne gunner in the Canadian Armed Forces, provided some perspective: “Leading up to the jump, you are so uncomfortable you can’t wait to go. Then once the terror of the initial departure and the shock of opening is over, there’s no time for anything much except following the drills and being grateful your chute opened.”

Mark is currently serving in the CAF after multiple tours of duty in separate conflicts. And even though he’s not on current jump status, he would definitely do it again in a heart beat – as long as he could sneak past the jump master and skip his refresher training.

Cold Furnace staff also spend time at the range to understand the handling and mechanics of a wide range of weapons. Below, Mark models a team T with chest rig, while wearing a “lucky” hat from his second tour in Afghanistan.